The Dover Road
In November 1775, on a muddy road to Dover, Mr. Jarvis Lorry, an elderly banker from Tellson's Bank, travels by mail-coach. He receives a coded message: 'Recalled to Life.' Jerry Cruncher, a porter, delivers it. Lorry tells Cruncher to say he 'understands.' In Dover, Lorry meets Lucie Manette, who thinks she is an orphan. Lorry tells her that her father, Dr. Alexandre Manette, whom she thought dead, is alive. He has been freed from the Bastille after eighteen years. Lucie faints from shock, and Miss Pross, her devoted governess, revives her.
The Shoemaker
Mr. Lorry and Lucie go to Paris and visit Monsieur Ernest Defarge's wine-shop in the poor Saint Antoine district. Defarge, a former servant of Dr. Manette, shows them a small, dark attic room where Dr. Manette stays. They find him a shell of his former self, making shoes. He is mentally broken, remembering only his prisoner number, 'One Hundred and Five, North Tower.' Lucie approaches him, and her golden hair and kind voice remind him of his wife, slowly bringing him back to awareness.
A Sight at the Old Bailey
Five years later, in 1780, Lucie Manette and Dr. Manette live in London. Charles Darnay, a French emigrant, is on trial for treason at the Old Bailey, accused of giving English secrets to the French. Mr. Lorry, Lucie, and Dr. Manette testify. The prosecution's case weakens when the striking resemblance between Darnay and Sydney Carton, a dissolute but smart lawyer working for Darnay's attorney, Mr. Stryver, is shown. This resemblance creates doubt about Darnay's identity. Lucie's honest testimony, though not directly freeing him, sways the jury with its sincerity, and Darnay is acquitted.
The Jackal and the Lion
After Darnay's acquittal, Sydney Carton and Mr. Stryver, the 'lion' of the courtroom, share a drink. Carton, the 'jackal,' does the legal work but lets Stryver take credit, showing Carton's self-destructive nature. Carton tells Darnay about his self-hatred and despair, regretting his wasted life. He shows a surprising gentleness towards Lucie, admitting her presence comforts him, even as he feels unworthy. This shows Carton's inner struggle and his hidden capacity for good feelings.
Monseigneur in Town
In France, the wealthy and arrogant Marquis St. Evrémonde, Charles Darnay's uncle, represents the cruel French aristocracy. While driving his carriage carelessly through the poor streets of Saint Antoine, he runs over and kills a child, Gaspard, in front of the Defarges' wine-shop. The Marquis shows no regret, tossing a coin to the grieving father. Madame Defarge watches, knitting silently, adding his name to her list of those to be punished. This event increases the peasants' resentment.
The Marquis's Château
Charles Darnay visits his uncle, the Marquis St. Evrémonde, at his grand château. Darnay expresses his disgust at the Marquis's indifference to life and his family's history of oppression. He says he will give up his title and property, believing the family's wealth is tainted. The Marquis, scornful of Darnay's ideals, dismisses his nephew. That night, the Marquis is found murdered in his bed, stabbed by Gaspard, the grieving father of the child run over by the Marquis. A note reads: 'Drive him fast to his tomb. This, from Jacques.'
A Secret Engaged
Back in London, Charles Darnay, now a French tutor, falls in love with Lucie Manette. Before proposing, he talks with Dr. Manette, promising to tell him his true identity and reasons for living in England on their wedding morning. Dr. Manette, though initially troubled by Darnay's secret, gives his blessing. On the wedding day, after Darnay reveals he is Charles St. Evrémonde, Dr. Manette relapses into his shoemaking trance for nine days. Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross secretly dismantle his shoemaking bench and bury his tools once he recovers, hoping to prevent future relapses. Lucie and Charles marry happily.
The Storm Bursts
July 14, 1789. The French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille. Monsieur Defarge, Madame Defarge, and the revolutionaries of Saint Antoine lead the attack. Madame Defarge, armed with a knife, inspires the women. The prison falls, and prisoners are freed or killed. Defarge, guided by a turnkey, goes to Dr. Manette's old cell, 'One Hundred and Five, North Tower,' to find a hidden document. This event unleashes the oppressed French people's rage.
The Grindstone
Three years later, in 1792, as the Reign of Terror grows, Charles Darnay receives a desperate letter from his family's former servant, Gabelle, who is imprisoned in France. Gabelle asks for Darnay's help, saying he is held for maintaining the St. Evrémonde property. Despite the danger, Darnay, feeling a family duty, decides to return to France to help Gabelle. He travels alone, keeping his plans secret from Lucie. In France, he is immediately recognized as an aristocrat, denounced, and imprisoned in La Force prison in Paris, facing a grim future.
The Carmagnole
Lucie, Dr. Manette, and Little Lucie follow Charles to Paris, upset by his imprisonment. Dr. Manette, now respected as a former Bastille prisoner, believes his past suffering will give him influence with the revolutionaries. He works constantly, using his status to plead for Darnay's release. Lucie waits daily outside La Force, hoping to see Charles, enduring the menacing atmosphere of revolutionary Paris, including the dance of the Carmagnole, a symbol of the mob's bloodlust. Despite Dr. Manette's efforts, Darnay remains imprisoned, and the family's ordeal continues.
Darnay's Trials
Dr. Manette successfully uses his influence to get Charles Darnay's first acquittal. Darnay is released and reunited with his family for a short, happy time. However, on the night of his release, he is dramatically re-arrested at the urging of the Defarges and another accuser. He is charged with being an enemy of the Republic. This second arrest, based on new evidence and the Defarges' relentless pursuit, throws the family back into despair and shows the unpredictable nature of revolutionary justice, making his situation seem even more hopeless.
The Denunciation and the Discovery
At Darnay's second trial, Monsieur Defarge produces a letter Dr. Manette wrote while imprisoned in the Bastille, found hidden in his old cell. The letter details how the Marquis St. Evrémonde and his brother (Charles Darnay's father) imprisoned Dr. Manette to silence him after he saw their brutal abuse and murder of a peasant family, including Madame Defarge's sister and brother. The letter also condemns the entire Evrémonde family 'to the last of their race.' This revelation condemns Darnay to death, turning Dr. Manette's past suffering against his son-in-law.
A Life for a Life
Sydney Carton, now in Paris, overhears Madame Defarge planning to denounce Lucie and Little Lucie. Realizing the danger, Carton creates a desperate plan. He visits Darnay in prison, drugs him, and switches places, using their resemblance. Carton sends Darnay, unconscious and disguised as himself, out of prison with the help of Barsad and Cly. Carton then awaits the guillotine in Darnay's place, having found purpose and redemption in his sacrifice for Lucie and her family, fulfilling his earlier promise to Lucie that he would do anything for her or those she loved.
The Last Thread
As Darnay, Lucie, Dr. Manette, Mr. Lorry, and Miss Pross escape Paris, Madame Defarge, furious at Darnay's escape and seeking to eliminate the entire Evrémonde line, goes to Lucie's lodging. She intends to denounce Lucie. However, she meets Miss Pross, who stayed behind to ensure the family's safe departure. A struggle follows. Madame Defarge tries to shoot Miss Pross, but the pistol goes off, killing Madame Defarge. The gunshot also causes Miss Pross to become permanently deaf, a silent sacrifice for the family's safety.
The Golden Thread's End
Sydney Carton goes to the guillotine, calm and determined, having found peace and purpose in his sacrifice. He comforts a frightened seamstress who is also condemned. As he waits, he imagines a future where Lucie and Charles live happily, their children prosper, and he is remembered with love. He foresees the end of the Reign of Terror and a more just society emerging from the revolution. His final thoughts are of redemption and selflessness, shown in his reflection: 'It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.'
